Study Guide for Quiz: Unit 3: Lexington to Declaration
1. This battle should have been called the Battle of Breed’s Hill: _____________________
2. The pamphlet released January 1776: _____________________
3. ____________, _____________ and the pursuit of happiness
4. The Declaration of ___________________.
5. He wrote Common Sense: _______________
6. These colonists wanted freedom from Great Britain: _____________
7. These colonists wanted to stay loyal to the King: __________________
8. The colonial city where the British went to fight after leaving Boston: _______________
9. The place where the shot was “heard ‘round the world”: ___________________
10. He was elected to lead the Continental Army: __________________
Word Bank: (know the meaning of these to answer the questions above)
Bunker Hill
Common Sense
Lexington
Life, Liberty
New York
Paine
Patriots
Tories / Loyalists
Washington
tyranny
Jefferson
independence
Also, be sure to know the events discussed in order for the test!!!!
Know the meaning of the two underlined statements from the Declaration:
We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by
their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit
of Happiness-That to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their
just Powers from the Consent of the Governed, that whenever any Form of Government
becomes destructive of these Ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and
to institute new Government, laying its Foundation on such Principles, and organizing its
Powers in such Form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and
Happiness.
The Battle of
Lexington and Concord
The American
Revolution: Initial
Battles and Key Ideas
Battle of Bunker / Breed’s Hill
** British see Colonists setting up
battlements on Charleston
Peninsula near Boston. They sale
across and attack.
** Although they win the day, the
British lose many more troops
giving the Colonials a morale
building victory in spite of their
retreat
** April 18, 1775
** British soldiers set out for
Concord to destroy arms and
to capture Sam Adams and
John Hancock.
** British face resistance at
Lexington and are forced to
retreat from Concord back to
Boston
** “The shot heard ‘round the
world!”
Siege of Boston
** The British take
over Boston and the
Colonial Militias try
to force them out.
** The Colonial s
attempt to attack
from Charlestown,
north of Boston
** Colonials don’t
have a Navy to
Blockade Boston
Siege of Boston:
Washington uses the hard work of
Henry Knox (cannon from Fort
Ticonderoga and trickery to force the
British out of Boston
Time Line: Early Revolution:
 April 1775 - Lexington & Concord
 May 1775 - Second Continental Congress meets to
appoint Washington as Commander-in-Chief
 Fort Ticonderoga captured
 June 1775 - Battle of Bunker Hill
 July 1775 - The Olive Branch Petition was sent,
negative response from Britain in Jan 1776 Many were
still hoping to reestablish good relations with the King,
but did not work
 January 1776 - Common Sense published
 March 1776 - Siege of Boston ends– Washington
forces British to retreat – they go to NYC
 July 4, 1776 – Declaration of Independence
signed/ratified
 Summer to Fall of 1776 – Battle is NYC go badly for the
Continental troops
 December 1776 – Washington and his troop retreat to
Pennsylvania
Common Sense
** Thomas Paine - January 1776
Declaration of Independence
Thomas Jefferson – ratified July 4, 1776
Published in Philadelphia: eventually 1 in 5
colonist read it: 500,000 copies!
Key Ideas:
** Britain’s interest in America is selfish. They are
only interested in trade and power.
** Britain is a small country and we are a large
nation.
** Only when we are free of Great Britain can we
claim success.
** We have a right to rule ourselves. When we
break from England we need to create a
constitution or body of laws by which we may be
independently governed.
** As a parent country, Britain should support our
rights, not take them away.
** There is no longer a reason to remain tied to
Great Britain.
** Formally announced a break from Great
Britain – a literal declaration of independence
** Claimed that King George of England
violated the colonists’ rights by taxing them
without their consent
** Influenced by the Enlightenment ideal of the
Social Contract
** Jefferson argued that Government and
rulers must protect the rights of its citizens.
** When the government or king breaks this
contract then the people have a right, even a
duty to disobey
** Once free the people have a
duty/responsibility to form a new government
which protects their rights and provides
security